This Web Site Dedicated In Memory
Of Tex Arley!
Dodge City, Kansas
December 1, 1922 - February 21, 1981

Some History of Dodge City, Kansas Picture Of Towntown Dodge City, Kansas As Seen Today! Click Here Opens In New Window! Dodge City was named for Fort Dodge which was established in 1865 to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. The post closed in 1882 and became the Kansas State Soldier's Home in 1890, which remains in operation. Dodge City was founded in 1872, about the time the railroad arrived. The town was five miles west of the fort. The first business was a bar. Dodge City originally was named Buffalo City, but that name was rejected by postal officials because another Kansas town already had it. An estimated 850,000 buffalo hides were shipped from Dodge City from 1872 to 1874. By 1875, the buffalo herds were gone as source of revenue, but Texas cattle soon brought money to town. From 1875 to 1886, more than 5 million cattle were driven on the Western Trail to Dodge City. After the buffalo herds were killed, farmers during hard times gathered the bones and sold them for $6 to $8 per ton. The bones were used to make china or fertilizer. Boot Hill Cemetery was used for burying drifters and unknowns from 1872 until 1879. One woman was buried there. The bodies were moved to make room for houses and a school. Dodge City has had a variety of nicknames: "Queen of the Cowtowns," "Buffalo Capital of the World," "Cowboy Capital," "Wickedest Little City in America." Many Old West legends on both sides of the law lived in Dodge City, including Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Luke Short, Ben Thompson, Bill Tilghman and Charlie Bassett. Dodge City had two Front Streets, one on either side of the railroad tracks. The south side was wide open, but guns couldn't be worn north of the tracks. The first recorded killing in Dodge City was in September 1872 when a man was shot by a gambler. In that year, some 15 men were killed in Dodge City, all being buried in Boot Hill. Kansas, derived from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south wind" is a Midwestern state in the United States. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is KS. Source: Ford County Historical Society, Kansas Heritage Center, Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau. Site Development and Powered by: WeHost4All.Com - Click Here The contents of this web site may not be reproduced without prior written consent.